What if?
by Guest M
Summary: A little bit of Deeks and Danny based on Bee Eh Vee's story Fluffy Hair and Nosy Bosses. I just like their friendship as described there.


_So, my first fanfic ever. Inspired by and based on Bee Eh Vee's story Fluffy Hair and Nosy Bosses which I can only recommend, obviously… _

_I finally took my chances after the story gathered dust on my computer for more than a year and sent it to Bee Eh Vee who encouraged me to post it. Thanks again for that and not to forget reading it in the first place and checking for the worst mistakes afterwards. Any mistakes left are my own fault._

_What else? Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or Hawaii Five-0. I just took the liberty to toy with the characters and let them loose in the sandbox provided by Bee Eh Vee Here you go._

**What if…?**

It was Friday night, close to midnight. They were sitting at their desks surrounded by paperwork having just finished a case which had taken a toll on all of them. Especially on Deeks who had just been in time to save Kensi from being shot. Besides being pale his face now showed an impressive shiner he had gained in the process. Kensi glared at him from behind her desk whenever the detective made a move to pull the ice from his face.

"I'll get frostbite." He whined.

"Stop being a baby."

"My brain will freeze and then you will have to fill in all this forms."

Sam chuckled "I doubt there is enough…"

Deeks phone playing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' interrupted Sam's comment. Deeks looked at the caller ID, grinned and stood up to head away from the bull pen. "What's up?" they heard him say, followed by silence and a low, disbelieving "What?"

The heads of the three agents snapped up. They knew all of Deeks' tones but this one they had never heard before. They saw his body go limp and he unconsciously stumbled a step backwards. Only Sam's fast reflexes saved their liaison from a crash to the floor as he pushed the desk chair into the back of Deeks' knees just when the man lost control of his limbs.

Deeks sat in stunned silence and whatever comment Sam wanted to make– something in the way of "Did your weekend date just cancel?"- died on his lips when he noticed Deeks' face, it had been pale before but it was now drained of all colour, his eyes wide with shock. He seemed to have difficulties to breathe and tremors run over his body.

Sam exchanged a worried gaze with Callen. Kensi immediately went to stand beside her partner and put a hand on his shoulder. Absentmindedly he put his own not holding the phone over it. Before anyone could ask a question Deeks' hand balled into a fist and crashed onto the desk – right into the metal claws that had been used to flatten the wheels of their cars when they followed the suspects. Callen expected Deeks to flinch, but the guy was either oblivious to the pain or he used it to put himself back together.

Which was why Deeks said with a calm voice that belied the terror obvious on his face "Calm down sweetheart. Please calm down. Take a deep breath. Yeah, that's my girl. And another one." Sam thought that Deeks would do good to take his own advice to heart. He was still panting, but nothing of it showed in his voice. Sam carefully took Deeks hand while listening and gently pulled out a claw that had gotten stuck not to deep. He could hear the hysterical sobs of a child lessen when the girl took Deeks advice and breathed deeply even though Deeks phone was not on speaker.

Sam turned the hand this way and that to check what wounds the punch into the claws had left. Nothing major luckily, but nevertheless the hand was bleeding freely. Callen handed him a compress but before Sam could put it on the wound Deeks suddenly jumped up, jolting Kensi's hand from his shoulder in the process and headed to the stairs, his footing surer now than moments before.

The detective didn't even acknowledge what was happening around him, his whole attention was on the phone and the child he was talking to.

Kensi turned and the others started to get up to follow, their eyes never leaving their liaison, who now vanished into OPS, but before Sam and Callen were even standing Hetty was in their middle like a genie let out of her bottle.

"Please stay seated, Mr Callen, Mr Hanna. I will take care of Mr Deeks. You will finish you paperwork."

"Hetty, what happened? Who is on the phone? Is Deeks OK?"

"It's going to be fine, Ms Blye, I assure you. No need to worry. Now please sit down and leave it to me."

She looked at each of them and only followed the detective after she was sure the agents would stay behind. She could clearly see their unwillingness to leave Deeks alone and felt very pleased about it. Come push to shove, the agents would turn the world upside down to help the detective, although none of them would admit it aloud if asked.

Hetty entered OPS to find Deeks slumped down on the floor right beside Nell's desk, his back to the wall, hands on his drawn up knees, head hung low. They were the only people in the room. Eric had left during the day due to a doctor's appointment.

Deeks was not holding a phone anymore as Nell had handed him a headset the moment he entered the room, one hand clutching the phone and whispering "Help" with terror etched across his face. Or better she had put it in his ear the moment he had slumped down beside her. She was glad that their boss had warned her otherwise she might have reacted differently when a totally disheveled Deeks stormed into the room asking for her help. Already knowing what he wanted she had previously made a call and put it through to her colleague.

Hetty had known what might have happened the moment she saw her detective's terror. His LA family all accounted for it could only be his Hawaiian friend so she had made some quick calls which left her with the knowledge that the cheeky detective was alive and well and not in any imminent danger. God, she hated the thought something might have happened to him and the way it would affect Deeks. Their friendship had grown indeed.

Hetty's attention went back to the detective in the room with her and she took in his appearance. As he was having a telephone conference with Williams and his daughter right now the paleness had receded and the tremors were gone, but she could still see the terror of "What if?" lurking in his eyes whenever he looked up. Nothing to be done about this right now, but she could do something about his still bleeding hand. Catching it gently in her hands she bandaged it with Nell's help. Deeks' grateful smile was nowhere near to his usual standards, but it was a start.

*** HAWAII * HAWAII * HAWAII ***

Danny and Steve were in the restaurant of a hotel when they heard the calm announcement "Mr Williams to the reception, please. A phone call for Mr Williams." Steve frowned puzzled and his frown deepened when he noticed his partner fishing for his cell phone only to come up empty. Danny's eyes widened and he jumped up to rush to the reception.

Naturally the tall SEAL followed, only at a more moderate pace. He could see the concierge handing Danny a portable phone and when he came closer he could even hear someone shout at the other end, getting only some of the actual words, though. Daughter, alone, nightmare and car crash, the gist of it. The SEAL perked up. Something had happened to Grace?

Danny winced, his face a bit paler than before, and tried to get in a word sideways. The first two attempts weren't successful and Steve was impressed with whoever was on the line for effectively shutting up his partner. But as he also knew the call had to do with Grace he wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Danny gestured at him and Steve didn't need to hear any words. He already had dialed Grace's cell number and when she answered the phone with a sob he handed the phone to his partner immediately.

"Monkey, Danno is fine. No need to cry. Your Uncle Steve and I didn't have a car crash, it was only a nightmare." Danny listened for a moment while Steve cringed at the thought of Grace being alone and having such a nightmare. And by the way, why was the girl alone? Wasn't there supposed to be a babysitter with her? One of Kono's many cousins, he thought.

"No, no, don't end the call. I need you to stay on the line." Obviously Danny was now talking to the anonymous caller on the other phone. "Yes, monkey, Uncle Steve is OK. He is standing right beside me now, wondering why you are so upset."

This awkward three sided conversation with his partner juggling two phones – one at each ear – seemed to be solved on the other end as Danny ended the call on the hotel's portable, dumping it unceremoniously on a nearby table while heading to the parking lot. Steve fished some money out of his wallet and handed it to the concierge to cover the bill then followed after Danny.

"Could you stay on the phone? There's lousy reception on the way back and – yeah – sure, thanks." Danny sighed, rubbed his eyes, opened the door and sat down on the passenger side of the Camaro.

For once he didn't talk but listened. Steve's eyebrows climbed up all the way to his hairline. Danny not talking but listening? What was the world coming to?

Whatever the man on the other end was talking about, it made a smile appear on Danny's face, easing the worried lines on his face, and once in a while his partner even snorted amused and Steve was grateful for it. Sometimes the line disconnected due to the lousy reception, but Danny waited patiently for the phone to ring and bring him back to the conversation. Steve really was impressed. He had fully expected Danny to be in panic because of his daughter, but whoever was on the line was helping and Steve was so going to find out who it was. Although he had the inkling it was Danny's buddy he still wasn't given the name of.

It took them half an hour to reach the house and the men were so going to have a talk to the baby sitter who left Grace alone, but that was for the next morning. Now they found the girl in her room, Danny's phone on speaker on the bed while she listened to the man on the other end telling a story of an octopus of all things. Steve didn't recognise the hoarse voice

"Danno, Uncle Steve." Grace yelled happily the moment she could see them and jumped up to throw herself into her Daddy's reaching arms. He caught her easily and hugged her tightly while fishing for his phone on the bed. "Thanks, buddy, I've got it now." He said with a wide smile, frowning slightly at something said on the other end. But obviously the call had been ended as Danny only gave his phone A Look and put it away.

His eyes went back to his daughter who still was a little red eyed from crying, but otherwise seemed to be fine. "That was a nice story he told you. Would you like to repeat it, cause I didn't get it all."

Steve turned away to give his friend and Grace some privacy, but Grace gripped his arm before he could leave. "Stay. Please?" seeing that the girl still was frightened by the nightmare what could the man do but to succumb to her wishes? "Sure, Gracie." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and made himself comfortable on the floor next to the nightstand.

Danny tucked his monkey comfortable in and sat on the bed by her side while she retold the story of a surfer girl and her adventures with Willy, the giant octopus, making all three of them smile.

Halfway through her eyes grew heavy and only moments later she slept, a happy grin on her face. They left the bedside lamp burning and the door ajar.

Steve took two beers out of the fridge and passed one to his partner. "That was your buddy on the phone, wasn't it?" he didn't want to sound envious that Grace had called him and not her Uncle Steve but something must have made it to his voice, because Danny gave him Another Look. He really had a knack for such Looks.

"Grace had a nightmare in which both of us died in car crash, she was terrified." Steve could see it terrified Danny as well so he clanked his bottle against his to get his attention. With raised eyebrows he asked him to continue. Danny took a deep breath "She tried to call me but I forgot my phone and she could hear it ringing. I don't now what made her do it, I really don't, but she called my buddy and not Rachel, or Kono or Chin. Gosh, he must have already been asleep. What a wakeup call. But, anyway, he calmed her down."

"And he found out where you are to call you. I wonder how he did that."

"Me too, yeah, me too. But I'm grateful he did." Danny answered although he had a suspicion that a small ninja and probably Catherine had helped a lot.

*** LA * LA * LA ***

Deeks took a moment after the call was ended to gather himself. He watched Nell working calmly beside him seemingly not paying any attention. The woman had made sure to reconnect the Hawaiian detective whenever the line broke. Of all important things she had to do she chose that one to be her main concern.

Deeks shook his head in grateful disbelief and gave her a huge smile when she finally looked at him. Nell squeezed his shoulder in answer "You're welcome. And by the way, nice story. You should write it down" She whispered, before he could say anything. A surprised laugh escaped him. To be honest, he didn't think he could remember one word of it.

When he clambered back to his feet - why did his hand hurt? - he could feel Hetty's gaze on him. "Thank you." It came out hoarse and he cleared his throat which had gone dry over the last half hour.

"As Ms Jones said, you are very welcome, Mr Deeks. And now I would recommend you to go down to your colleagues to relieve them from their worries." The tiny woman gave him a warm smile which he returned.

Deeks stretched, wincing when he heard his vertebrae pop and slowly left OPS. He took another moment at the top of the stairs to watch his colleagues, his friends, working downstairs. He could tell by the tilts of their heads that they were well aware of him standing there, so he puttered down to them and stopped to lean against his desk. "Sorry." he said roughly.

"What happened?" Kensi suddenly stood right beside him, studying him sideways with a slight frown. He rubbed his face, mindful of the shiner. Had it really been only three quarters of an hour? He wondered. All the what-ifs raced through his head again and his posture stiffened.

Callen stood to mirror Deeks' stance at his own desk. When Deeks' eyes met his, Callen relaxed visibly and Sam smiled when he could see Deeks relaxing too.

The Ex-Seal had already noticed the bandage around Deeks hand and recognised it as Hetty's handiwork. He stood up as well to lean against Deeks other side so the detective was now true to the word surrounded by his friends, and put a cup of coffee in Deeks hands. The fingers brushing his when the detective took it with a grateful nod were ice cold.

Deeks breathed in the aromatic steam, took a large sip and left his hands around the cup for warmth. His colleagues stood patiently. They could see the what-ifs razing through his mind and just waited for him to give them a voice so they could counter them.

"There was a girl on the phone, wasn't there?" Sam prodded gently after the silence stretched for too long and Deeks started to get tense again. The detective looked up surprised. Trust Sam, the father, to recognise the voice of a child in need.

"Yes." Another sip of coffee "It was my friend's daughter. I expected him to be on the line and I nearly got a heart attack at her first words." Having seen his reaction first hand they just nodded.

"What did she say?" Kensi wondered aloud.

"Daddy is dead. He and Uncle Steve had a car crash and now they are dead." Deeks repeated in a flat voice. The agents closed their eyes and Kensi gave Deek's arm a gentle squeeze. Well, that really could stop your heart.

"It was a nightmare?" this time Callen with a soft tone.

Deeks sighed deeply. "Yes, only a nightmare." The detective listed to Sam's side and the tall man adjusted his stance to take the weight without comment. There were times, when he forgot about his resentments towards the detective. And given the circumstances, he was more then willing to help him right now. When Deeks looked up Callen could still see the what-ifs in the detective's eyes and this time he voiced them without realizing "But what if it hadn't? What if he really had a car crash?" the flickering gaze he gave each of them needed no voice to make all agents hear the "What if one of you has a fatal car crash?" Deeks' voice picked up in urgency "He's so far away, there would have been nothing…" Deeks stumbled over his own words, took a hectic breath and restarted "What if…"

"...you just tell us the name of D-square and we get it over with." Callen threw in with narrowed eyes and a slight smirk on his face. That stopped Deeks effectively.

Kensi punched Deeks' arm. "Yeah", she said over his surprised yelp. "Spit it out already."

The agents could see how Deeks wrestled the what-ifs as he put the skeletons back in his closet. They all had such a place. The trick was to keep the doors firmly shut and the closet from spilling over. Callen made a mental note to talk to Hetty about Nate. They needed their class clown sane in order to be able to do his job of keeping them sane.

When Deeks was done with wrestling his head came up again to meet Callens gaze. This time there was mischievous mirth in Deeks eyes and he gave Callen a smirk of his own, while absently rubbing his arm.

"Niiice try." He singsonged smiling warmly at Kensi. "But it's so not going to happen." He finished grinning. "And by the way, it's not nice to take advantage of my weakened state." Deeks whined, carefully navigating back to his chair with Sam breathing down his neck.

"It was worth a try." Sam stated looking up and not being surprised at seeing Nell and Hetty standing side by side, leaning on the railing of the upper floor. What did surprise him were the identical Cheshire grins on the women's faces. He exchanged a look with his partner and both shrugged. Well, the stakes had just been heightened, but that only increased the fun of the game, didn't it?

"Come on partner, let's get you home to bed." Kensi winced fully expecting a leering comment. But Deeks just smiled at her and nodded his thanks. The day and that call had really taken a toll on him, his colleagues thought.

Later that night or, more accurately, early in the morning, when Deeks was finally ready to try and sleep he padded from the living room to the bed room. With the ease of long practise he managed not to stumble over Monty or the blanket the dog had between his teeth. Against what everyone else thought, the dog normally slept on this blanket in the living room. Sometimes though it chose to seek out its master. Especially when nightmares were lurking.

Deeks crashed down on his bed, his bandaged hand hanging over the bed frame unerringly finding Monty to tussle through the pelt of his faithful canine companion. With the other he fished his cell phone from the nightstand. He had missed several messages while showering. The first two made him smile warmly, the other two made him laugh out loud

"We are all sound and safe, no need for what-ifs or nightmares. Sleep tight." Danny.

"You can call me anytime." Kensi.

"We will find out." Callen.

"They won't." Nell.


End file.
